From standout Asian restaurants, top chefs and brilliant pubs, autumn is a hugely busy time in the hospitality and restaurant industry
One of Douglas Balish’s dishes at Grove of Narberth
Wales’s award winners from November:
- Blaenavon’s Butterflies Bar & Kitchen is the onlyly Welsh entry in the 2025 top 100 from leading booking site, OpenTable. Tucked down a valleys street it’s famed for its Sunday roasts and innovative dishes as well as traditional grills, with the Sunday roast sittings typically booked up in advance.
- Talbot Green’s Spice Plus has taken home the title of best takeaway in Wales once again, at the Asian Restaurant of the Year 2025, after bagging the award last year too. Spice Plus, known for its Cymru Curry – aka its special laverbread curry – has also appeared on shortlists for British Curry Awards. Also, Cardiff’s Vegetarian Food Studio is a legendary curry spot in the capital’s Grangetown neighbourhood – that took home the title of best Welsh Vegetarian/Vegan restaurant. The winners from north, south and mid Wales were My Indian, Ammanford, Black Peppers, Wrexham and Spice UK, Welshpool.
- Welsh-based chef, Douglas Balish of Grove of Narberth, took the title in the Hotel Chef of the Year (fewer than 250 covers) category at the Hotel Cateys 2025. The Hotel Cateys are among the UK hospitality industry’s most respected awards, recognising exceptional talent, creativity and dedication across hotels nationwide.
- Meanwhile, shortlisted for The Asian Food & Restaurant Awards (AFRA), which happen on December 2. Are several Welsh venues. Cardiff’s Purple Poppadom, Swansea’s Raj Kitchen, Red Fort in Caerleon made it to the final 50. Good luck!
- At the end of October five of Wales’ pubs made it into the inaugural Top 100 Pubs in Britain from the Good Food Guide. The 100-strong list sees Carmarthenshire’s much-lauded Inn at the Sticks land in the top 10, at number nine, while Felin Fach Griffin just outside Brecon is the next highest entry. Sister pubs, Cardiff’s Heathcock and Aberthin’s Hare & Hounds claim a spot in the top 100, while the Welsh list is rounded out by Pontypridd’s The Bunch of Grapes. Read our recent review on The Bunch of Grapes’ roast dinner, here.